System for point-by-point measuring of spatial coordinates

Abstract

A system for point-by-point measurement of spatial coordinates comprising: one or more opto-electronic cameras (7, 8) arranged for measuring spatial direction to point-shaped light sources; one or more rangefinders (11) for measuring distance and optionally direction to light-reflecting targets (19, 28); a touch tool (18) having a minimum of three point-shaped light giving means (21-25) in known local coordinates relative to a local tool-fixed coordinate system, one or more light-reflecting points or targets (28) for the laser rangefinder, and having a contact point (30) in known position relative to said local coordinate system; and data processor (2) designed to compute the spatial position and orientation of said touch tool (18) relative to said camera (7, 8) and rangefinder (11) on the basis of knowledge of the position of said light giving means (21-25) relative to the tool's contact point (30), the measured directions from the cameras (7, 8) to the individual light giving means (21-25), and measured distance from the laser rangefinder (11) to the light-reflecting point/target (28), so that the position of the tool (18) is referred to said contact point (30).

We claim: 
     
       1. A system for point-by-point measuring of spatial coordinates, comprising: at least one opto-electronic camera arranged to measure spatial direction to light giving means:   touch tool having a minimum of three point-shaped light giving means at known local coordinates relative to a local tool-fixed coordinate system, and having a contact point at a known position relative to said local coordinate system;   a laser rangefinder being provided for measuring distance to light reflecting targets, said rangefinder having in operation a specific positional relationship to said at least one camera, the   one or more light reflecting points/targets for said laser rangefinder being located on the touch tool, and   a data processor constructed and programmed to compute the spatial position and orientation of said touch tool relative to said at least one camera and said rangefinder on the basis of the position of said light giving means relative to the tool's contact point, the measured directions from the cameras to the individual light giving means, and measured distance from the laser rangefinder to the light reflecting point/target, so that the position of the tool is related to said contact point.   
     
     
       2. A system as in claim 1, wherein the data processor is constructed and programmed, on the basis of said computation, to control the the direction of a laser beam from the laser rangefinder so that the beam strikes said reflecting point/targets for registration of the distance thereto. 
     
     
       3. A system as defined in claim 1, wherein the touch tool's light giving means comprises at least three light-reflecting targets, and in a minimum number of three; that   at least one of the cameras has a flash lamp mounted thereon for illumination of the light-reflecting targets.   
     
     
       4. A system as defined in claim 1, wherein the system comprises only a single camera mechanically connected with said laser rangefinder.   
     
     
       5. A system as defined in claim 1, further comprising means for adjusting an illumination time and intensity for each of the touch tool's light giving means on the basis of a signal level which at any given time is registered by said at least one camera, so that an optimum signal/noise relation is obtained at all times.   
     
     
       6. A system as in claim 1, wherein the at least one camera and laser rangefinder are arranged to register direction and distance to isolated light reflecting targets; and   the data processor is constructed and programmed to steer the rangefinder's laser beam on the basis of the directions to the targets as observed from the cameras.   
     
     
       7. A system as defined in claim 1, wherein the single camera and the single laser rangefinder are built as one unit, said unit further including a rotatable mirror and an optical path redirecting means, whereby the optical path of view of said camera and the optical path of the laser rangefinder laser beam are along a first common optical axis between the redirecting means and the mirror, and along a second common axis between the mirror and said targets.   
     
     
       8. A system as in claim 1 wherein said laser rangefinder also measures direction to said light reflecting targets. 
     
     
       9. A system for point-by-point-measuring of spatial coordinates, comprising: at least one camera arranged to measure spatial direction to point-shaped light sources;   a touch tool having point-shaped light sources in known local coordinates relative to a local tool-fixed coordinate system, and having a contact point in known position relative to said local coordinate system;   a laser rangefinder for measuring distance to light reflecting targets, said rangefinder having in operation a specific positional relationship to said at least one camera, the light reflecting targets for said single laser rangefinder being located as light sources on the touch tool, and   a data processor for computing a spatial position and orientation of said touch tool relative to said at least one camera and said laser rangefinder based on the position of said light sources relative to the tool's contact point, measured directions from the cameras to the individual light sources, and a measured distance from the laser rangefinder to the light reflecting point/target.   
     
     
       10. A system as in claim 9, wherein the data processor is designed, on the basis of said computation, to control the direction of the rangefinder's laser beam so that the beam strikes said reflecting points for registration of distances thereto. 
     
     
       11. A system as defined in claim 9, wherein the touch tool's light sources comprises light-reflecting targets, and   at least one of the cameras has a flash lamp mounted thereon for illumination of the light-reflecting targets.   
     
     
       12. A system as defined in claim 9, wherein the system comprises only a single camera mechanically connected with said laser rangefinder. 
     
     
       13. A system as defined in claim 9, further comprising means for adjusting illumination time and intensity for each of the touch tool's light sources on the basis of a signal level which at any given time is registered by said at least one camera, so that an optimum signal/noise relation is obtained at all times. 
     
     
       14. A system as in claim 9, wherein the at least one camera and laser rangefinder are arranged to register direction and distance to isolated light reflecting targets; and   the data processor is designed to steer the rangefinder's laser beam on the basis of the directions to the targets as observed from the cameras.   
     
     
       15. A system as defined in claim 9, wherein the single camera and the single laser rangefinder are built as a single unit, said unit further including a rotatable mirror and an optical path redirecting means, whereby the optical path of view of said camera and the optical path of the laser rangefinder laser beam are along a first common optical axis between the redirecting means and the mirror, and along a second common axis between the mirror and said targets.   
     
     
       16. A system as in claim 9 wherein said laser rangefinder also measures direction to said light reflecting targets.